Capital Region Information Service of New York
E-mail: admin@crisny.org

CRISNY User Guide

Version 1.0
December, 1999
Help Line 454-5400
Modem Line 242-4000

1. Introduction

This document is provided to assist you in connecting to CRISNY/Knick.net the first time you login. It has two sections: section one for people with Macintosh operating systems, and section two for people with Microsoft Windows. Please read the directions for the system you are using before going online.

In order to use our Macintosh software, you will need to be using system 7.0 or higher and have a control panel called MacTCP. (This control panel is included free in system 7.5.) Other Mac users may use any communications package supporting VT 100 and have access to CRISNY text based interface.

The conventions used in this document are as follows:
use of italicized text indicates text to be typed in
use of [brackets] indicates text that the system displays online

The CRISNY Help Desk is a phone call away. However, a great deal of effort has been put forth into creating a clear, concise guide, for your convenience. If the answer to a question is not found in the documentation, call the Help Desk at 442-5733. The Help Desk can not answer questions related to particular commercial software packages.

If you have questions about a commercial software package you purchased, contact the software producer. If you choose to set up a shareware and/or freeware based winsock tcp/ip stack and Internet tools (explained in section three, under shareware/freeware), be aware that the CRISNY help desk will not answer questions regarding their set up and configuration. We have provided a sample login script to be used as a reference, but configuration of these tools is your responsibility.

2. Connecting To CRISNY In Text-Only Mode
2.1 What Does It Mean To Connect To CRISNY in Text-Only Mode?

The information on the system can be viewed in two different modes, text-only and graphical (see section 3 for an explanation of graphical mode for Microsoft Windows operating system users). In the text-only mode, information is accessed via menus, commands, up and down arrow keys, and the enter or return key to select options. Images will not be visible in this mode, however, all of the functionality and content of the system is available. The software used in text-only mode is referred to as vt100 emulating communications software.

2.2 Connecting To CRISNY in Text Only Mode

CRISNY can be accessed with any communications software, supporting vt100 (or vt102) terminal emulation, compatible with your computer and modem.

Steps For Going Online:

1. To initiate a connection to your CRISNY account, open your communications software application.
2. Edit the Phonebook or Dialing Directory to include an entry for CRISNY.
3. Make the CRISNY settings as follows:
   518 Area Code Dialing Number: 4466900
   Terminal Emulation: vt100 or vt102
   Data Bits: 8
   Parity: N
   Stop Bit: 1
   Modem speed is dependent on your modem capability. CRISNY supports modem speeds of up to 28,800 baud.
4. Select the Dial button or initiate the Dial command.
5. Once the connection is made you will see the prompt, [Annex user name:]
6. Type in your login id assigned to you by CRISNY, all in lowercase. (The system is case sensitive. Smithj and smithj are not the same.)
7. Next you will see the prompt, [Annex password:]
8. Type in your initial password exactly as it is given to you. (The system is case sensitive.)
9. You will see the CRISNY System Menu with choices 1 through 5 as follows:
   1. Connect to CRISNY Server in text mode
   2. Start PPP
   3. Start SLIP
   4. Telnet to any site
   5. Hang-up
10. To connect to CRISNY in text mode, type the number 1 and press return.
11. Next, you will see the prompt, [password:]
12. Type in your initial password exactly as it is given to you.
13. Once logged in, the system will present a menu from which you may choose the particular application with which to work.
14. Use the up and down arrow keys to highlight a menu item.
15. Press the return or enter key to select that item.
16. The first time you login be sure to change your password by selecting 7 from the menu and following the instructions (see section 2.2.4). To review secure password guidelines, see appendix B.
17. Your next step should be to check your mail and to read all of the waiting messages

Capital Region Information Service of New York

The following sections explain menu choices 1, 2, 3, 7 and 9. Explanations of the other choices will be provided online when each choice is activated.

2.2.1 CRISNY Home Page (www-goph-ftp)

Option one launches a text-based Web Browser (Lynx), which allows you to view sites on the Internet. The starting point is the CRISNY Homepage, which contains information ranging from local to world wide, organized under basic categories. At the bottom of the screen in Lynx are commands to be used while in the program. These commands are as follows:

LYNX Commands: Use arrow keys to move, ? for help q, to quit, <- to go back
Arrow keys: Up and Down to move. Right to follow a link; Left to go back.
H)elp O)ptions P)rint G)o M)ain screen Q)uit /=search [delete]=history list

To navigate the Internet, you can use the CRISNY Homepage as a starting point. Simply use the up and down arrow keys to move between highlighted text. (These are links to other pages and/or sites on the Internet.) To select the link, press return. You may also specify a site to go to. To accomplish this, you must have the URL (Uniform Resource Locator), also known as the path to a site. Use the Go command by typing g. The system waits for you to enter the URL. Type in the URL and then press enter. For more information, online help is available while in Lynx by simply pressing ?.

2.2.2 E-mail

E-mail, or electronic mail is the most heavily used function of the Internet. As a CRISNY subscriber, you have an E-mail account. Your address is your login id, as given to you, followed by @crisny.org (For example, Jane Doe, whose CRISNY login id would be doej, the Internet E-mail address would be doej@crisny.org).

For E-mail, CRISNY uses Elm as the mail program, and Pico, as the editor program. ELM
You can use any of the following commands by pressing the first character;
d)elete or u)ndelete mail, m)ail a message, r)eply or f)orward mail, q)uit
To read a message, press . j=move down, k=move up, ?=help
The first time you use Elm, you will be asked to respond to two questions, the first dealing with setting up a directory and the second, about creating a mail directory. You should answer yes to both of these questions. Elm has its own set of commands as follows:

To read mail, select the message with the arrow keys and press enter.

To send a mail message, follow these steps:

1. To send a message, use the command letter m for mail.
2. You will see the prompt: [Send the message to:]
3. Type in the Internet mail address of the intended recipient(s).
4. Press return.
5. Next, you will see the prompt: [Subject of message:]
6. Type in the subject matter of the message and press return. Be descriptive, but brief.
7. Next, you will see the prompt: [Copies to:]
8. Type in an e-mail address to cc to, or press return leaving the line blank if no cc is required.
9. Press return.
10. A notice appears from the system [invoking editor].
11. You are now in the Pico editor program where you may type your message.

Pico has its own set of commands to be used while editing messages. The commands are as follows:

Pico

^G Get Help ^O Write Out ^R Read File ^Y Prev Pg ^K Cut Text ^C Cur Pos
^X Send Msg ^Justify ^W Where is ^V Next Pg ^U Uncut Text ^T To Spell

1. When the message is complete, press simultaneously the control key and the letter x (Ctrl-x) to save the message.
2. You will see the prompt: [Save edited message (ANSWERING “No” WILL DESTROY CHANGES)?].
3. Answer y to save the message.
4. Answer n to exit and destroy the message.
5. Press ctrl-c to cancel the save request and continue the editing process.
6. If you answered yes, then you will be taken out of the Pico editor back into the Elm mailer.
7. Elm will now ask you the following:
8. [Please choose one of the following options by letter:
9. e)dit message, edit h)eaders, s)end it, or f)orget it.]
10. You may still choose to go back and edit or simply forget about sending the message.
11. To send the message, press s.
12. The system responds with the message: [Mail sent!]

For additional commands, see the bottom of the screen while in Elm. Online help is available by pressing ? for help.

2.2.3 Telnet

Telnet refers to the set of commands and program used to login from one Internet site to another. The telnet command/program gets you to the "login:" prompt of another host. To open a telnet connection to another host, you must know the Internet address of that host. When you choose the telnet command on the CRISNY Menu, you will see a system prompt: [telnet>]. Enter the Internet address of the site you wish to reach. You must provide a login id and password for all host sites. Some sites with public login availability, will give you the login name on the first screen. Once you are connected to another host site, you must follow the instructions and commands applicable to that site. Note especially how to disconnect from the host site. That information is generally presented only in the first screen. On the CRISNY system, to exit from the telnet option, type quit.

2.2.4 Exit

To end your session, select exit. You will be asked to confirm your choice. If you say yes, your connection will be closed.

3. Connecting To CRISNY In Graphical Mode With Microsoft Windows

3.2.2 Web Browser

One of the critical components of an Internet toolkit is the Web browser. The commercially available toolkits generally include a Web browser. When you make the connection to CRISNY, we recommend that you download the popular Web browser, Netscape. There is a Netscape download option on the CRISNY Homepage that will guide you through the steps of downloading. We recommend Netscape because CRISNY information is formatted to take advantage of its newest features. Not all Web browsers, support all of these features. To ensure that you can use Netscape, make sure that any software you select (see below) accepts a third party viewer, such as Netscape. This way, you may run Netscape instead of the Web browser that is included in the package. Currently there is no charge for using Netscape.

3.2.3 E-Mail

E-mail, or electronic mail, is the most heavily used feature of the Internet. E-mail allows you to maintain a personal Internet address (yourname@crisny.org), which includes a mailbox from which electronic messages can be sent to anyone in the world with an Internet address. Messages sent to you will appear in your mailbox. Most E-mail tools allow you to read messages, forward a message to someone else, reply to the message, write and send a message. Various E-mail programs contain additional features which you may find useful, such as an automatic signature that is appended to each message.

3.3 What Are Your Options For Graphical Access Software?

1. Commercial Packages
2. Shareware/Freeware

3.3.1 Commercial Packages

Publisher Information:

Internet Anywhere				Mosaic In a Box 1.0
MKS, Inc.					Spry Inc.
185 Columbia Street West			316 Occidental Ave.  S.
Waterloo, Ontario				Seattle, WA 98104
Canada N2L 5Z5					1-800-557-9614
1-800-265-2797					E-mail: iboxinfo@spry.com
E-mail: sales@mks.com				Requires: 4 MB RAM; 
Requires: 4 MB RAM (8 Recommended);		DOS 3.0 or higher; 
Windows 3.1 or higher; Modem;			Windows 3.1 or higher; modem
15 MB Hard Disk space				
(extra required for news)			Netscape Navigator, 
						Personal Edition
						Netscape Communications Corp.
						Mountain View, CA
						415-528-2555
						Web Page: www.netscape.com
				
Internet Chameleon				SuperHighway Access for Windows 4.0
Net Manage inc.					Frontier Technologies Corp.
10725 N.De Anza Blvd.				10201 N.  Port Washington Rd.
Cupertino, CA 95014				Mequon, WI 53092
(408) 973-7171					1-800-929-3054
E-mail: sales@netmanage.com			E-mail; superhighway@frontiertech.com
Requires: 4MB RAM; DOS 5.0			Requires: 4 MB RAM (8 MB recommended);
or higher; Windows 3.1 or higher;
modem

3.3.3 Information For Scripting for Commercial and or Freeware/Shareware

You will also need to set-up a dial-in script. Some of the Internet toolkits have a graphical tool to help you do this. Below is an example of what your script needs to convey to the CRISNY server in order to properly connect. An example of a login script is also provided. Since scripting tools vary, depending on the software you choose, the example should be used only as a guideline. Substitute in the variables that your particular toolkit utilizes. Consult your Internet toolkit user guide for instructions.

Appendix A 4.1 Winsock FAQ

The Winsock FAQ
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
June 26th, 1995
Maintained by Michael Jason Mezaros (mook@mars.superlink.net).
http://mars.superlink.net/user/mook/winfaq.html

How does it work? (What is Winsock?)

Winsock is short for Windows Sockets. Today's popular Internet applications for Microsoft Windows 3.1 and IBM OS/2 are developed according to the Winsock standard. Winsock is not a particular product or brand but is a standard utilized by many different products and brands.

This diagram roughly explains the relationship of the various items involved in a dialup Internet connection using Winsock applications:

 Your Winsock applications: E-mail, News, Web browser, etc.
 (Examples: Netscape or NCSA Mosaic)
|
|
|
 Your TCP/IP Stack including WINSOCK.DLL
 (Examples: Trumpet Winsock, Chameleon, Internet in a Box, or the
 stacks included with Microsoft Windows 95 or IBM OS/2 Warp)
|
|
|
 Your modem or network card
|
|
|
 The Internet

Your Winsock applications are the programs that you will be using to access the Internet. Various Winsock applications let you use e-mail, Usenet news, the World Wide Web, and the many other services available with a connection to the Internet.

Your TCP/IP stack is the software that lets your computer "talk" to the Internet. TCP/IP stands for "Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol," the "language" that computers on the Internet use to communicate with each other.

Although your TCP/IP stack and WINSOCK.DLL are grouped together in the diagram (because they come together as a matched set), WINSOCK.DLL actually acts as a "layer" between your Winsock applications and your TCP/IP stack. Your Winsock applications tell WINSOCK.DLL what to do, WINSOCK.DLL tells your TCP/IP stack, and your TCP/IP stack tells the Internet!

This is important because Winsock does not refer to any specific product or brand, it is a standard. Dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of companies and individuals produce different Winsock applications for you to use. You can use any of these, no matter which TCP/IP stack you own.

What lists of Winsock applications are available?

There are several regularly updated lists of Winsock applications. If you are looking for something, try these lists first. You can FTP the files directly through the Web-based lists.

The Consummate Winsock Applications List (CWSapps List)
Alternative

Larsen's List (Winsock Application FAQ)

The Winter List

The OS/2 Internet Apps Page
Note: This is a list of Winsock apps which require the OS/2 operating system.

What Winsock related newsgroups are available?

alt.winsock
General discussion of Winsock applications.

alt.winsock.trumpet
Troubleshooting for Trumpet Winsock users.

alt.winsock.programming
Developers discuss coding for the Winsock standard.

alt.dcom.slip-emulators
Discussion of SLIP/PPP emulators.

comp.infosystems.www.browsers.ms-windows
Discussion of World Wide Web browsers.

comp.os.ms-windows.networking.tcp-ip
TCP/IP networking under Windows, including Winsock.

The last newsgroup has a very comprehensive FAQ:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Appendix B
4.2 Secure Password Guidelines